The Ides Of March - Part 3

Our Clark / Kent review of the brand new Ides Of March 50th Anniversary Box Set continues today in Forgotten Hits.    

DISC TWO:     

These tracks will likely be the ones most familiar to fans of the Warner Brothers label tracks from 1970 - 1972.  The song that made the Ides of March a band to always be remembered (by some as a "One Hit Wonder") starts this CD.  "Vehicle" (both the mono 45 and stereo LP versions can be found on this CD) continues to live on, some 45 years from it's inception.  Those energetic opening horn notes are immediately recognizable to anyone who listened to rock music in the 70's.  "Aire of Good Feeling," with its Blood, Sweat and Tears "Somethin' Comin' On" sound (both were LP cuts released in June, 1970)  was the band's choice as a follow-up single.  It was passed over for the best "Vehicle" clone anyone could ever imagine, "Superman."  Either track would have been great choices, IMO.    
-- Clark Besch    

Had "Aire Of Good Feeling" been released as the follow-up single, it may have given the band "legs" ... it was different enough (and in many ways far more sophisticated) than their runaway hit "Vehicle".  In my opinion simply releasing a "clone" hurt the band long term and didn't expose the depth and versatility of musicianship they held within their ranks.  I believe that a track like "Aire Of Good Feeling" would have placed the band right up there near the top amongst the innovative leaders of this new brass / rock sound ... putting them on an even keel with their contemporaries rather than leaving them a bit lower on the totem pole and being compared to artists like Chicago and Blood, Sweat And Tears instead.  With "Vehicle" behind them, The Ides Of March were now touring with major headliners all over the world, proving that they could hold their own with even the most elite artists out there at the time.  In hindsight I believe the decision to go with "Superman" (not only a sound-alike but a MUCH weaker track at that) did irrevocable damage to the group's chart longevity.  As a result, other really strong and solid material was overlooked.  A Top Ten Hit with "Aire Of Good Feeling" would have changed all of that ... and I believe this track was strong enough to achieve that, both on its own merits and especially on the heels of a record as big as "Vehicle".   (kk)

kk:  Unless you're a "local" (or bought the "Vehicle" album at the time), not many folks are going to be familiar with much of this material beyond the hit single "Vehicle" ... but there are some GREAT tracks on this box set.  I've always felt that tracks like "L.A. Goodbye" and "Aire Of Good Feeling" should have been GIANT hits ... certainly deserving of Top Ten Status.  (Of course I feel this way about "You Wouldn't Listen", too, which was every bit as good as ANYTHING else out on the radio at that time.)  Why do you think these were overlooked nationally?  Coming off of such a big-sized hit, I would have thought ANYTHING released by the band would have automatically been added to the radio playlists.  (In hindsight releasing such a similar sounding record like "Superman" was probably a HUGE mistake ... but it sounds like that was much more of the record label's decision than that of the band.  Weren't you guys pushing for "Aire Of Good Feeling" to be the follow-up single?) 

JP:  Yes - we felt "Aire of Good Feeling" was the best choice and we were devastated when Joe Smith at Warner Brothers said to go back to the drawing board and clone Vehicle. I actually have learned to love Superman and we play it at most shows - but it will never be Vehicle. 

Warner Brothers finally fixed one thing for the band by releasing their first album and unleashing the amazing singing and instrumental talents of a band too long suppressed.  Two long cover songs of the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" and the medley of CSN's "Wooden Ships and Jethro Tull's "Dharma for One" gave the instrumentalists in the band a wonderful opportunity to showcase what a tight cohesive band could sound like.  It also showcased how stereo could be made to be an integral part of a recording.  Also on this disc drummer Mike Borch would get his chance at songwriting by way of the great blues cut "Bald Medusa" (also featured on the set's 2014 DVD concert) and the previously unreleased psych solid rocker, "Reunion." 

Even in 1970, Jim Peterik was looking back with his songwriting.  There were the ballads of "Home" and "Lead Me Home Gently" as well as a mixing of brass, strings and piano on "Hymn For Her," which reminds me (again) of BS&T and their arrangement of "God Bless The Child."  Most importantly, of these "quieter" tunes, would be the band's second most memorable tune (#2 in Chicago in 1971) these days, "L.A. Goodbye."  The song's folksy CSN-like harmonies break into Jim Peterik's strong vocal and great acoustic guitar segments.  You'll find a surprising reprise of the song at the disc's end! 

The Ides' most famous "man behind the curtain" member (?) is probably Larry Millas.  Larry gets his chance to sing lead vocal again here (he also sings lead on Disc One's "I Put It Out Of My Head") and on the DVD portion of the set on "We Are Pillows."  "Freedom Suite" is an acoustic beauty ala the New York Rock Emsemble band of the time or even the Moodies, with reeds in tow. 

The rest of the CD is taken up with great, but unsuccessful singles, including the long version of "Tie-Dye Princess," which in some countries, was issued as "Hippie Princess."  There's also the "Vehicle" sounding 45s, "Melody" and "Giddy Up Ride Me."  Throw in the Pepsi commercial and you can know that "Vehicle" shows up a lot on this set even when the song title is NOT "Vehicle." 

The unmistakable "sound" of "Vehicle" may have been milked to death over the years ... but it's also the band's claim to fame.  The Ides even recorded a Christmas Carol based around this musical theme ... but it's such a strong track that it has held up very well for the past 45 years.  I still hear it at least once every single day on the radio.   Former American Idol runner-up Bo Bice (who, ironically, is now the lead singer of Blood, Sweat and Tears, favorites of The Ides back in the day) introduced the song to a whole new audience of fans a few years back.

kk:  After the initial hit of "You Wouldn't Listen" and, to a lesser degree, "Rollercoaster", The Ides seemed to disappear from the consciousness of their fans for a few years.  Sure, they were still playing clubs all over the midwest, but once the radio airplay seemed to stop, the old "out of sight, out of mind" adage seemed to creep in.  As such, it was quite a surprise to most of us when the band was suddenly "reborn" once the decision was made to add horns to the line-up.  What was the original inspiration for this move ... and how did you change direction as a songwriter for this brand new sound?  (Are you one of those songwriter / musicians who hears "the whole song" in your head, fully arranged, and then goes into the studio trying to recreate the music in your mind?)   

JP:  Yes - generally I do hear the whole song in my head before it's even rehearsed.  We added the full brass section to compete with some of our hero bands - primarily Blood Sweat & Tears. That first Al Kooper-led album changed our lives.  Then, when they changed to David Clayton Thomas, they hit us just as hard. When we arranged Vehicle we were kind of unconsciously channeling their first two albums.  

(Editor's Note:  Here's a clip from Clark Besch that you won't find on the box set ... recorded right off the radio in 1966 from Jim Stagg's WCFL afternoon program spotlighting the then new release from The Ides Of March, "Roller Coaster", their follow-up single to "You Wouldn't Listen".  - kk) 

The original demo of "Vehicle" (featured here in all its raw glory, courtesy of Clark Besch) didn't include the "call and response" feature present on the hit single.  (It also featured a much weaker, less satisfying guitar solo.)  We have talked before about how it was WLS Disc Jockey Art Roberts who suggested adding the "call and response" aspect to "Vehicle".  (Prior to receiving the track featured below from Clark, I asked Jim Peterik:) 

kk:  Does a version of the ORIGINAL "Vehicle" demo still exist?  That would have made for a nice extra on the box set.  Please run down your initial reaction to this suggestion ... was this a case of "Damn, that's EXACTLY what this song has been missing?  Or was it more a case of, "OK, we'll give it a shot"?  

JP:  It was a moment of "duh - of course!!"  Thank you, Art! We recently found a version without the call and response and the alternate lead part I did a week after we cut the master. I felt I could beat the solo I played live with the band. I couldn't!  That solo was guided by voices. I had to literally learn it note by note.  

kk:  Jim has told the story before about how, on the original studio recording of "Vehicle", there was an error made in the control both that partially erased a chunk of this track, causing him to have to redo his guitar solo.  Ironically, earlier on in a previous run-through of the track, his guitar solo was buried so far into the mix as to be indistinguishable ... so he had to do it over.  Then, when they went to record the track again, they ran into a similar obstacle. 

Here is how Jim describes it in his autobiography, "Through The Eye Of The Tiger" ... 


JP:  After we got the master vocal take, The Ides went out to get a snack at our favorite dog house, The Grand Deli.  When we returned to the studio, a look of despair was plastered on everyone's face. 
"Did they stretch the tape like they had all those years ago at MBS?"  "Even worse," said Bob Destocki.  "Rich, our second engineer, pressed the wrong button and erased thirteen seconds from the master take of 'Vehicle'."  Where once was sound was now the sound of silence. 
Suddenly our future ground to a halt.  We were stunned.  After stumbling about the studio for a while, I actually went outside to fill my lungs with some needed oxygen.  When I finally returned about two hours later, the mood had swung back. 
"Check this out!" shouted Rich.  With those words, the master take came roaring through the speakers - with the thirteen seconds seamlessly restored.  We shook our heads and shouted like a miracle had just taken place.  "I spliced that thirteen seconds from take one into the gap.  I didn't think it had a prayer of working but you guys were so consistent in your meter, it worked!" 
I can still hear the spliced section to this day.  It starts with the "Great God In Heaven" line in the second verse ... and goes all the way up to the very first note of my guitar solo ... we almost lost that solo twice!  

kk:  Once again The Ides Of March proved to be WELL ahead of their time ... 18 1/2 minutes of Nixon's Watergate tapes wouldn't be erased for another four years!!!   

DIJDAKNOW? - Prior to recording "Vehicle" themselves, Peterik offered the track to Blood, Sweat and Tears, thinking it was something that was right up their alley.  Ironically, the band never bothered to listen to Jim's cassette tape.  Great God In Heaven, history could have been written TOTALLY differently if they had!!!  (kk) 

DISC TWO:  This is the Ides Of March material I'm most familiar with it as I really grew up with the band during the "Vehicle" years.  In an effort to remain as unprejudicial as possible, let me just say that a good chunk of this music holds up very well today ... although, despite my personal familiarity with these tunes, this is NOT my favorite disc in the box set.  (For that you have to get to Disc Four, a collection of much more recent material recorded by the band over the past fifteen years.)  When I say The Ides sound today better than ever, THIS is what I mean ... although these most recent tracks have been denied hit status across the boards, the new material holds us as well as anything the band has ever recorded ... and, live in concert, even the older material sounds better because of the way the band has "aged" along the way. 

That being said, you'll have to wait until tomorrow for our Disc Four review ... today we're concentrating on Discs Two and Three ... and to that extent, you get both the mono single version and the stereo album version of "Vehicle" on this second disc.  (Sadly, the original demo version is missing but, thanks to Clark Besch, we are able to share a version of this with you here today ... see above.)  Jim tells us that they did discover a copy of the original tape ... unfortunately just not in time to include on the box set ... so it may still see the light of day at some later date via some other compilation cd. 

Disc Two certainly shows the maturity of the band ... clearly their confidence level had been boosted ... and as a result of their #2 Hit "Vehicle", they were soon touring behind some of the biggest names in rock and roll.  (The Ides Of March opened for Led Zeppelin in Winnipeg, Canada, and reportedly stole the show.  Guitarist Randy Bachman (of Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive fame), who was at the show that night, has gone on record as telling the band, "Listen, I was there ... and you blew them away!")  The story of The Ides being invited back to the hotel room by Led Zep ... and the debauchery that later ensued ... makes for a VERY interesting (and hysterical) chapter in Jim Peterik's book "Through The Eye Of The Tiger", available here:  http://jimpeterik.com/  

Highlights from Disc Two include the previously mentioned "Aire Of Good Feeling", the "hit single" that just wasn't meant to be, as well as their other Chicagoland smash "L.A. Goodbye".  (#2 locally ... but only #72 nationally.)  It was the world's loss ... this is a GREAT track that still holds up incredibly well today ... and, when weighed against the sounds of '71, is every bit as deserving of recognition as anything put out by the similar sounding Crosby, Still, Nash and Young at the time.  

Other stand out tracks include "Bald Medusa", the beautiful ballad "Home" (although I will NEVER get past the line "if your sink needs a plumber" ... just NOT the imagery that Jim Peterik would come up with today ... in fact, I cannot help but wonder if he cringes every time he hears it, too!), the "Vehicle" follow-up single "Superman" (where "Great Caesar's Ghost" replaced "Great God In Heaven"), lengthy, heavy versions of "Symphony For Eleanor - Eleanor Rigby", a ten minute CTA / Vanilla Fudge-type treatment of the classic Beatles ballad and "Wooden Ships" by the aforementioned Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, drawn out here to a seven minute jam when combined with "Dharma For One" ... and "Lead Me Home Gently", which has kind of a Blood, Sweat and Tears feel to it, idols of the band at that time.  

Other failed Warner Brothers Ides singles are also included like "Giddy Up Ride Me" and "Melody" as are the popular album tracks "Tie Dye Princess" and "Hymn For Her".  You'll also find a "Vehicle" treatment Pepsi Commercial ... as well as an "L.A. Goodbye"-type rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner".  All-in-all, a VERY listenable disc, well worth the price of the box set once one considers that four additional discs are packaged right along with it!  (kk)  

*****

DISC THREE:  

Most of these songs are making their very first CD appearances despite being over 40 years old.  There are three tracks here presented from a 1972 live concert.  Each could easily have been groomed for a third Warner Brothers album, but the band was dropped from the label.  

Despite the bad news, you still will hear the blazing brass with "Gotta Share" using an arrangement not unlike those of Chicago.  "American Express" is a fast paced train ride of superb solos.  "Vagabond Lady" is a great mix of Booket T. sounding keyboard work and solos by the brass, guitars, organ and drums (Mike Borch belts a great one) that take Larry Millas' lead vocal on a journey Chase would have been proud of in the day. 

By 1973, the Ides had marched on to RCA Records, where they would step back some from the heavy brass sounds of the past.  None of the songs from their two LPs for the label have ever been on CD before now.  These songs present even more instruments into the song mixes. 

The first four tracks on this CD have NO horns at all, proving that the sound was a little different now.  Beginning with the first RCA single, "Mother America," it showcases a bit of the 70's disco era sound BEFORE there was a disco era sound!  Synthesizer, cowbells, keyboards take lead where horns had once been the choice.  "All Join Hands" had the gospel sound that was popular in the early 70's with a somewhat Three Dog Night sounding vocal.  "Colorado Morrow" has a lyric that could have made it the followup to "L.A. Goodbye," with a John Denver "rocky mountain" feel.  "Diamond Fire" would seem to be a beautiful ballad about Peterik's grandmother, with nice keyboard work. 

With "Flipside," Millas gives tribute to 45 "B" sides as well as tying into the conflict on the other side of the world.  "Children" has a Sugarloaf or even early Deep Purple keyboard sound at times, with a pretty Peterik vocal performance.  "Hot Water" was the 45 from the band's second LP for RCA.  This song, with a very bluesy fee, could have been recorded at Muscle Shoals by the sound of it, combining Lynyrd Skynyrd with Loggins & Messina's "Nobody But You" to make a great original sound. 

"Lay Back" is possibly one of the best unknown nuggets of this disc.  With Poco originator, Rusty Young, playing steel guitar on this track, his band mate and future Eagles member, Randy Meisner, must have been listening.  This song almost surely must have been the blue print for Meisner's signature Eagles track, "Take It To The Limit," released two years after this Ides song!  The Poco sound continues with "Quicksilver."  "Road Odie" has a styling like the Eagles' "Tequila Sunrise" (also from 1973), but gives the band roadie his props, long before Jackson Browne did "The Load Out."  

With that, the group disbanded in 1973, but the end was to lead to new beginnings on Disc Four.  Meanwhile, disc three closes with four live tracks from the reformed Ides' 1999-2008 era.  You'll find lots of gospel in "Love's Got the Power" while their extended cover of the Spoonful's "Summer in the City" gives Bob Bergland's bass guitar a chance to shine, soloing in another great reading of a cover hit.  Peterik's voice is a natural for this one.  "Don't Fight the Feeling" allows a glimpse of his solo career at the end of the Ides' 70's band run.  Lastly comes the Ides' Chicago Cubs ode in which they try to pump life into the Club, circa 1999.
-- Clark Besch 

Disc Three:  There were no hit singles released during the RCA years ... so finally having all of this material available on CD for the very first time is a real prize.  (One that SHOULD have been a hit was "Hot Water", which sounded a lot like much of the other music out at the time.  Once again, I feel as though their record label steered them down the wrong path when it came to picking the "hit single" material.  Tracks like "All Join Hands" or "Colorado Morrow" sound FAR more contemporary circa 1972 / 1973 than the selected first single choice, "Mother America".  These others have a very early-'70's / Doobie Brothers / Loggins and Messina feel to them ... and other RCA cuts also benefited (as Clark mentions above) from the likes of Rusty Young of Poco helping them out in the studio.  Another personal favorite, "Flipside", a great Larry Millas track, honors both our Forgotten Hits oft-mentioned B-Side tracks as well as takes a bit of a political stance regarding what was going on in other parts of the world at the time.  One track in particular ... "Lay Back" ... sounds like a Joe Walsh / Eagles outtake, right down to the subtle vocal Joe uses on some of his slower material.  I couldn't help but wonder what it was like for Jim to go through all these tapes again after all this time and assemble the definitive Ides Of March Box Set, commemorating their entire career.    

The Ides took a bit of a risk here, too, by releasing a series of live tracks (six in all) that are NOT familiar to their core audience.  However, this just proves that the band was constantly evolving ... and not afraid to experiment by playing new material for their audiences in concert. 

The best of the bunch (for me anyway) has got to be "Love's Got The Power" which (minus the "Amazing Grace" interlude) could have been a hit single in its own right.  Peterik also has that perfect "dirty and gritty" voice, which lends itself well to the Lovin' Spoonful / John Sebastian classic "Summer In The City", misidentified on the box as "Summer In The Center" for some crazy, unknown reason!!!  "Don't Fight The Feeling" is another exceptionally strong track and, were it not for my life-long hatred of The Chicago Cubs, I might even recommend "Finally Next Year" if you caught me in the right mood at the right time!  (lol) 

kk:  After being dropped by Warner Brothers (despite several potential hit singles ignored by the label), The Ides moved on to RCA Records.  Did you view this as an opportunity to broaden the band's horizons at this point?  There had to be an underlying feeling that what The Ides were currently doing wasn't working ... at least from the label's perspective.  How did you approach this new opportunity with RCA? 

JP:  After two albums and a couple of singles (namely "One Woman Man", "Giddy Up Ride Me" and "Melody", Warner Brothers decided to give us our rocking papers.  
Rather than being devastated, our managers Bob Destocki and Frank Rand kept our spirits up by putting the word out that the Ides were free agents.  
The best offer came from David Kershenbaum of RCA Records.  He was already a noted producer - "My Maria" by B.W. Stevenson and many more to come.  
We were thrilled to have run of both magnificent RCA studios ... one on Wacker Drive in Chicago ... and one on the Sunset Strip.  It was in that studio, while cutting "Midnight Oil" with the great Brian Christian (Poco, Guess Who), that we were rubbing elbows and playing ping pong with our label mates ... including the guys in Poco (Rusty Young guested on Layback and Roadie Ode), David Bowie and some guy from Memphis named Elvis something or other.   
These were great times ... drinking Boones Farm Apple Wine and living the dream.  
I loved those sessions and to hear the restored masters we obtained for the box set was a revelation.  
This is a great chapter in Ides history. 

kk:  I have to believe that you have invested a fair amount of your own money to allow this box set to see the light of day.  What's the ultimate goal here?  Are you looking for new fans to discover some of these tracks?  Or is this more of a career retrospective gathering up all of the chapters into one nice, neat, concise package?  It had to be nice, even for you, to finally have everything buttoned up neatly and all accessible in one place. 

JP:  Its all those things - it secures our legacy in a neat, well designed box (Thanks Mark Alano!) and sounds fantastic.  We hope it also makes the new fan aware of what we have done though our 50 year career. So far so good! 

kk:  The Ides changed musical directions numerous times over the years.  Was this typically just a way to try and capture another niche style-wise ... or were you consciously exploring other types of music to see just where you might fit within those confines? 

JP:  I always say that we started so young that the public got to see our development.  When you are just 15, you are really just a blotter for all the music entering your synapses.  Funny thing is though, when I listen to the box set - even through all of the genre changes - it still sounds like the same band somehow. 

kk:  The box set features SO many tracks unavailable for many years, several appearing on CD for the very first time.  How did you go about narrowing down the song list and licensing the tracks?  Some of the RCA stuff has NEVER been available on CD before, has it?  And is there more stuff "in the can" that still hasn't seen the light of day?  

JP:  It was not an easy task - there is sooo much stuff.  The RCA stuff is being made available here for the very first time. The master tapes had to be baked in a special oven to make the ire on oxides adhere to the backing after being stored for so many years. Hearing the digital trans feed was a revelation ... the tracks sounded just like they did at playback when we cut them at RCA studios back in 1972 and 73.  

kk:  When The Ides Of March finally threw in the towel the first time, a farewell concert was held (naturally!) at Morton West High School, the same place where it all began so many years before.  I was there for that concert, of course, and it was nothing short of amazing.  After The Ides Of March officially disbanded, you pursued a solo career, sat in on occasion with Chase and even contemplated a new musical career under the name Chalmers Garseny.  (Don't ask!!!  Or, better yet, read the book!)  Even the band that ultimately became Survivor was originally launched with the intention of being The Jim Peterik Band.  (Hiring a new lead singer kind of killed THAT option!)  Meanwhile, several of the other guys got together with members of The Cryan' Shames and formed The Ides - Shames Union.  Was this something you approved of at the time or did you feel that each band's legacy should have been allowed to stand on its own? 

JP:  I was fine with it - in fact, I guested with them on "Vehicle" when they played B'Ginnings. 

The venture was short-lived ... but we covered it here in Forgotten Hits back in 2009!
http://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2009/03/ides-and-shames-union.html

We'll wrap things up tomorrow in Forgotten Hits. 

Meanwhile, you can order your own copy of this great Ides Of March 50th Anniversary Box Set here ...
http://theidesofmarch.com/

The Ides Of March - Part 2

When's the last time you saw a Clark / Kent byline on a story???   

But we've got a SUPER story to tell. 

Over the next few days we'll treat you to a review of the brand new Ides Of March 50th Anniversary Box Set, along with several tracks that did (and didn't!) make the cut ... some cool photos ... and an exclusive interview with Jim Peterik, the driving force behind the band.  

[I would first like to point out that Clark and I each wrote our box set reviews independenty of one another ... meaning I didn't see his until I edited it into this special week-long piece ... and he is seeing mine for the very first time today as it hits the website.  That being said, it's incredible how many time we agree on many of the same points ... and single out quite a few of the same tracks as being box set highlights.  The real icing on the cake came when Jim Peterik decided to join us to talk about the history of the band.  That pushed us over the top ... and makes this quite likely the most in-depth review you're ever going to see on this 50th Anniversary release.  For clarity purposes ... you'll find Clark Besch's Box Set Review in Blue ... My Comments, Review and Interview Questions in Black ... and Jim Peterik's answers and Comments in Green.  We will continue to use this format throughout this very special four-part piece.]  

So, if you're ready, why don'tcha hop inside my car ... and we'll get this vehicle on the road!  (kk)   

*****

It seems that one of the best kept secrets of the year might be the new "Ides of March: Last Band Standing -- The Definitive 50 Year Anniversary Collection" five disc set released in April on a limited run basis.  It's possible that you know the Ides only for their everlasting hit, "Vehicle" from 45 years ago.  Maybe you are a fan of their 60's era and their first hit "You Wouldn't Listen" from 1966.  If so, you might have the band's great 60's Sundazed Music retrospective, "Ideology (1965 - 1968)."  Maybe you love the horn rock they produced throughout the early 1970's and have the great Rhino Handmade 2-disc set of their 1969 - 1973 tracks, "Friendly Strangers:  The Warner Brothers Recordings."  Maybe you think you don't need any more Ides music because you "have it all."  

I'm here to tell you that you are wrong!   

This new mega-set is what YOU need to buy so you can hear what this incredible band has produced over 50 years!  This is not just the 60's and 70's, but has recordings (several are previously unreleased) from EVERY decade of Ides music as well as their leader, Jim Peterik's, amazing career during this period.  

Let's start with the music.  Why not?  That's the key to this band: their amazing music and all of the musicianship and vocals that these four ALL ORIGINAL members have made in 50 years.  Jim Peterik, Larry Millas, Bob Bergland and Mike Borch all have writer credits on this set and ALL four have been the basis for the band from its inception in 1965 through today and into the future.  15 talented individuals have passed through the band in 50 years (all listed in the booklet in chronological order of joining the band), but these four have had the magic for the entire trip.  

The set contains four CDs and one great video DVD in an incredibly impressive box with three jewel cases to hold the discs.  There is a beautiful 18 page glossy booklet containing current band member mini auto-biographies and photos.  You will learn the secret of the "Ides Cure."  As to all the work put into the set, the list of credits is thorough and awesome.  Forgotten Hits (web site listed!) and yours truly are among them.  There are thank you's to about 30 area DJ's who helped the band over the years.  I loved that part.  FH's Michael Thom has assisted the Ides lately, as well. 
(Editor's Note:  For whatever it's worth, the Forgotten Hits website is incorrectly listed in the booklet as www.forgottenoldies.com ... we won't get any new visitors through THIS link!!!  [I actually thought about buying that web address to use as a forwarding device to the correct website since it appears to be available ... but nobody ever got back to me.]  That's OK ... maybe they can fix it on the next printing of the booklet.  (Oh wait ... that's right ... this is a limited edition release!)  Curses ... foiled again!!! - kk) 

Between the overall box booklet and the individual CD booklets, you'll get both vintage photos through the years, as well as the current band photos.  Each CD / DVD booklet has separate notes on the details (release dates, lead singers, writer / producer credits, etc.) of each of the discs' tracks.  There are shots of many LP and CD covers, sheet music, performance photos and record labels. Baker and Taylor really did things right with this limited release.  Lots of care and money went into this compilation, as it deserves.  If this hasn't sold you on the set, let's get into the music you may or may not know in this set.  

Growing up in Berwyn, The Ides Of March were always a huge presence in my life.  Reading Jim Peterik's biography, "Through The Eye Of The Tiger", was like a walk down memory lane as we both frequented so many of the same haunts.  Even though we never knew each other (Jim was a few years ahead of me in school), I always felt a connection to the band, who regularly played at Morton West High School when I was there.  Flash forward 40-plus years and The Ides Of March are still playing ... and I'm writing about them in Forgotten Hits!  (We have probably given The Ides more coverage over the past 16 years than any other publication in the world.)  Yes, even after all this time, I'm still a fan first!  

I asked Jim about the the origins of The Ides Of March ...  At first they called themselves The Shon-Dels, reportedly because Jim Peterik thought it would be a really cool name for a band after hearing Troy Shondell's name when he hit #1 here in Chicago with "This Time".  Apparently he wasn't the only one inspired by the name ... and, in 1966 ... when Tommy James and the Shondells hit the charts in a very big way with their #1 Hit "Hanky Panky", a name change was immediately in order.  From there, we all know that they took their name for Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar", which they just happened to be reading in High School.  (In hindsight, I guess this means they could have just as easily called themselves "Et Tu, Brute?")  Thank the Great God in Heaven that common sense prevailed!!! 

But The Ides' roots go deeper than this high school epiphany ...  

Kent Kotal / Forgotten Hits (kk):  Did you guys all first meet in Grade School? Junior High?  High School?  Who approached who?  What previous musical background did the members have before coming up with the core line-up that has lasted now for over 50 years?  And who and what were some of the original inspirations that caused you all to pick up instruments in the first place?    

Jim Peterik (JP):  I was in Cub Scouts with Bob Bergland and then Boy Scouts. We would go to summer camp with the scouts out in White Pines State Park every summer ... and then later, band camp.  We did our first performance together in 7th grade when we played "Stewball (Was A Racehorse)" for an assembly in the Piper school gym.  Larry was this mysterious guy in grade school that wore pink tinted glasses in 3rd grade!  I thought there must have been something wrong with his eyes but he told me recently it was for style only - waaaay before his time. He played percussion in the District 100 Band along with Mike Borch, so we were all buddies before The Shondels (later the Ides of March) came to be.  Larry and Bob showed up at the Berwyn Fourth of July celebration in 1963 and watched my band, the Renegades, play in the stands for 500 people.  They thought little of the band but liked my guitar prowess (I knew barre chords!) and my singing.  Larry pestered me by coming to my house twice ... I finally buckled and carried my amp two miles to rehearse with them the first time.  

kk:  So if I'm doing the math right, little Jimmy Peterik was already playing guitar in a band in 7th grade ... that would make you around 13 years old in 1963 ... a year BEFORE anybody in America had a clue who The Beatles were.  Certainly The British Invasion had a HUGE impact on every kid who has ever picked up a guitar post-1964 ... but who were your early influences that made you want to sing and play PRE-Beatles?  (My first guess would be The Ventures ... because they, too, inspired SO many kids to learn a rock and roll instrument ... but who else?)  

JP:  Pre-Beatles it was a potpourri of influence.  Here's the short list:  The Beach Boys, The Ventures,

The Shadows' Hank Marvin, Elvis, Chuck Berry, Johnny Cash, Dionne Warwick (and the music of Bacharach - David), The Coasters ... and anything written by Goffin - King (such as Will You Love Me Tomorrow by The Shirelles). 
(Editor's Note:  Here's something I just learned the other day while working on another project.  It seems like EVERY kid who ever picked up a guitar or a drum kit in the early '60's was influenced by The Ventures ... we ALL wanted to play like these guys.  In fact, one of the biggest, most inspiring albums The Ventures ever made was called "Learn To Play Like The Ventures" ... like I said, they inspired SO many kids to pick up an instrument ... and yet incredibly The Ventures did not play a single note on that album!  The entire LP was recorded by The Wrecking Crew because The Ventures were too busy out on the road touring ... because that's how they made their money!  Every guitar lick you heard on that album was laid down by Tommy Tedesco, father of Denny Tedesco, who put together the incredible documentary FINALLY available for home video release, "The Wrecking Crew."  Can you believe it? - kk)  

kk:  Did you start writing your own tunes immediately?  Back in the early days of afternoon sock-hops, the typical play list consisted of as many of the hits of the day as a band could plow their way through, hoping to sound at least a LITTLE bit like the record here and there.   

JP:  Yes.  I had a song already in my cannon, "Hully Gully Bay", that I wrote in 7th grade.  The Shondels never performed that but very early on I wrote "Like It Or Lump It" and "No Two Ways About It" with the help of the band and we started sneaking those into our set between covers by the Ventures, the Beatles, the Hondells, the Beach Boys, the Strangeloves and Cannibal and the Headhunters.  We also had a couple of boss instrumentals like "Corruption" and our break song "Quits."  

kk:  On numerous occasions you have referred to The Ides of March as "The Berwyn Beatles" ... I imagine it had to feel that way sometimes.  What was that like, knowing that you had a record playing on the radio that ALL of your classmates were listening to on the big pop stations WLS and WCFL?   

JP:  It was a pretty awesome feeling but we truly never let it go to our heads - we carried it silently -yet deep down it made us feel really special. The head of the hall guards, Mr Magro (Little Al), kept us down to earth by insisting on weekly check ups to monitor the length of our hair. We would grease it back and tuck the back into our shirts - worked every time.

DISC ONE:    

This disc begins with three very recent songs, with each focusing on both Jim Peterik's and the Ides' career.  The first two have that familiar blasting brass sound the band is known for today.  "Last Band Standing" is the set's namesake, but also a great retrospective of the career or the Ides.  "Who Am I" is a retrospective of Jim's life, IMO.  "Too Far to Turn Around" is, musically, a departure from the first two, and tells us that the future is still a bright one for the Ides.   

From there, we go back in time to the beginnings and the 1965 - 1969 era of the Ides, or the mostly pre-horn era of the band.  It is my fave CD of the set.  You get their very earliest two 45 sides (when they were known as the "Shon Dels Unlimited") showing clear influences from the Kinks to the Kingsmen.  The guitar solos get a bit buried in these early productions, but one thing ALL of the songs on this CD have, which is not always the case with most 60's garage bands, is that the lyrics are always heard clearly.  That is a true blessing of the Ides, especially when there are more lead singers than just Peterik on these tracks and the soaring harmonies are often amazing and quite unique when moving from song to song.  In fact, the lyrics always stand out on all of the discs here.   

Following the initial rare 45, comes the nugget, "You Wouldn't Listen," that launched their career into the elite of Chicago bands of the time.  This record was originally released as by Batt Mann and the Boy Wonders on a local Ginny Records label.  Thankfully, the band changed their name to the Ides of March and were sometimes promoted to be an English band.  "You Wouldn't Listen" was first released on the local label Harlequin Records and then, nationally on Parrot Records in early 1966.  Despite the label's misspelling of the band name on the record ("I'des of March") it quickly climbed Chicago's radio station charts and then the national charts, creating a top 40 hit for the band.  Dick Clark featured it on his American Bandstand weekly dance show (entire clip is on the DVD "Bonus" footage!).  
(Editor's Note:  For the record, it just missed The National Top 40 ... "You Wouldn't Listen" officially peaked at #41 on the national charts in Record World ... but was a #7 Hit here in Chicago on The WLS Silver Dollar Survey.  -kk)

Also included is the 45's "B" side, "I'll Keep Searching," which was good enough to be an "A" side or the follow-up single.  They opted for the raucous "Roller Coaster," which was a hit in both Chicago and New York, but failed to make inroads to the national charts.  The flipside and somewhat bubblegummy (this was two years before the word was popular for pop music), yet melodic, "Things Aren't Always What They Seem," is next in line.  Mike Borch's drumming could remind one of the Chicago area hit "Scratchy" by Travis Wamamack from a couple of years earlier. 

Besides these superb Parrot label 45s, there are original songs recorded at the time that were previously unreleased until the fabulous Sundazed "Ideology" CD and the bootleg album "We're Gonna Shine" came to be in the last two decades.  Ballads ("Don't Cry To Me"), rockers ("I'll Take You Back,"), harmony pop songs ("Please Don't Tell Me Lies") and occasional cover versions ("Train of Love," "You Tell Me Why," "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore," "Sha La La  La Lee") infused with the sounds familiar in songs by the Byrds, the Turtles, the Beau Brummels, the Kinks, the Beatles, the Beach Boys and the Small Faces show through on the thirteen songs here that were recorded in 1966.  "I Put It Out Of My Head" reminds me of a Cryan' Shames / Association conglomerate that is priceless.  It makes one wonder "How could Parrot have NOT put out an LP of these tracks?"  There's garage tracks and pop tracks that really DO "shine" throughout.    

kk:  Over a period of a few years you recorded enough tracks for Parrot Records to have filled an album.  Why do you think no album was ever released?  Was there ever talk of putting together an entire LP?  And where were these tracks actually recorded?   

JP:  In those days (and now it seems) unless you developed enough momentum (say two major hits or more) the labels were reticent to release a full LP.  You Wouldn't Listen qualified as a hit - Roller Coaster came close but the others failed to catch fire.  So The Ides never recorded an album for Parrot. 
The earliest tracks were done at Sound Studios on Michigan Avenue with the great Stu Black. He did most of the cool early Chicago-based records - hits by the Cryan' Shames, the New Colony Six and more. (Our first sides before signing with Parrot were done at MBS ... Midwest Broadcasting Service ... on Wabash.   After that we moved to Chess at 2120 S Michigan Ave with the awesome Ron Malo (who recorded Muddy, the Stones and many more) and then to their new location a few blocks south.  

Finally, with 1967's "My Foolish Pride," we get the first taste of the layered horn sound to become the band trademark in a few short years.  For the time, it gave the band a totally different sound.  The 45's "B" Side, "Give Your Mind Wings" is probably the best song that Saturday's Children never recorded, but should have.  "Hole In My Soul" could have been a followup hit for the Outsiders' "Time Won't Let Me."  It's also very American Breed-ish.  It even has touches of "My Mind Goes Traveling"  by the great Exceptions.  I have mentioned MANY Chicago acts of that time period, but they DO come to mind when I listen to these.  The Monkees could have struck more pay dirt, had they covered "Girls Don't Grow on Trees."  Outside of the hit "You Wouldn't Listen," the best song on the CD (IMO) is "I'm Gonna Say My Prayers."  How did this pop masterpiece remain unreleased, until Bob Irwin enlightened us with it on his Sundazed 45 release in 1999?  "You Need Love" compares favorably with all of those productions coming from sunny California in that era. 
(Editors Note:  Next to "You Wouldn't Listen", "My Foolish Pride" is my all-time favorite Parrot track by The Ides Of March ... yet I don't recall EVER hearing it on the radio and, as such, it died a quiet death, completely unnoticed.  As Clark mentioned, today in hindsight it acts as the perfect precursor to their horn period to come in 1970. In fact, from this point forward you'll find horns featured on nearly every Ides Of March track.  If only given a chance, this one absolutely should have been a hit. -kk)

kk:  The Ides hinted at a brassy sound with "My Foolish Pride" which is, next to "You Wouldn't Listen", my all-time favorite Ides Of March track from the Parrot era.  Tell us a little bit about how that track came to be ... and how that sound was developed.     

JP:  My Foolish Pride was very Rubber Soul inspired (reference Girl). I wrote it on this cheap little Performachord organ that Larry had sitting around and in fact that sound made it on to the record and contributed to its unique character. Steve Daniels had just joined the band on trumpet and I wrote a cool line for him to play.  We joked around by changing the title to My Polish Bride.  

kk:  It is, without question, one of my all-time favorite Ides Of March tracks.  This song should have been a monster hit.  Was this an attempt to take the band in another direction?

JP:  To an extent, since this was really the first use of horns on an Ides record.   

kk:  Honestly in hindsight it sounds a little Tijuana Brassy ... but it has SUCH a great feel to it ... there isn't another Ides record that I can think of that captures so many different moods in under three minutes!  

JP:  It's a really bittersweet ode.  Many moods as you say.  And that cheesy Performachord organ really makes it. Yes, Tijuana Brassy for sure.  The Lonely Berwyn Bull.

kk:  Speaking of horns, The Buckinghams had been having hits for years with horns added to their records ... yet, incredibly, they never toured with a horn section.  (Hard to believe ... I have NO idea how they captured their sound in a live show, circa 1967!)  Then The Mauds came along with brass ... and then, of course, CTA / Chicago and Blood, Sweat and Tears hit at right around the same time.  Shortly thereafter Chicago had Chase (who you sometimes performed with).  Was this just a feeling at the time that this was where music was heading?  Yet we also had the soft-rock, singer / songwriter '70's going on (and "LA Goodbye" fit perfectly into THAT mold).  Did you ever go through a "what do I want to be when I grow up?" musical phase during all of this?   

JP:  We were a reflection of our musical heroes at any given time.  We were always fans first!  

The tracks from 1968 see Parrot dropping the band and a "record label roulette" ensuing.  The Ides would add Chuck Soumar and John Larson on trumpets as well as a new added vocalist, Ray Herr.  For Kapp Records, "Nobody Loves Me" gave Ray and Jim a chance to harmonize. Along with the new brass sound, the song rivaled then current Cryan Shames' hit, "Up On The Roof."  The 45's flip would have the first psychedelic side for the Ides, complete with extensive use of studio effects.  The record failed, but the band was no doubt gaining recording experience necessary to eventually make it in the business.    

Later in the year, their new label, Warner Brothers Records, released a totally different sound from the band.  "One Woman Man" was extremely close to the brass / strings pop sound of the Association (another Warner Brothers act) with the Ides own unique vocal harmonies being a major difference.  The B side, "High on a Hillside,"  is the one I play the most these days, since the set came out.  Like the single's "A" side, it is so wonderfully harmony-ladened that you want the false ending to continue over and over. Disc one still plays almost daily in my car.  

-- Clark Besch  

DISC ONE gives you the full scope of the progression made by The Ides Of March over the past fifty years.  Before we all step into The Way-Back Machine, we are first treated to three brand new tracks, including the box set title track "Last Band Standing".  This is another Jim Peterik anthem, tracing the history of the band and many of their adventures.  As an added bonus, we even get the great, legendary Steve Cropper on guitar!  This is followed by "Who I Am" and "Too Far To Turn Around", another very catchy track I'm sure you'll all enjoy.  (If given the chance, I'm convinced "Too Far To Turn Around" could be a HUGE comeback hit for The Marshall Tucker Band!)

We then flash back to the very beginning ... with the first Ides Of March single (then released as The Shon Dels on their own Epitome label) "Like It Or Lump It" / "No Two Ways About It".  It's a pretty primitive recording and, quite honestly, doesn't even hint at what was to come.  

All the more amazing when one considers their next commercial release was the hit "You Wouldn't Listen", as good as ANY song on the charts in 1966.  (They certainly came a long, long way in a very brief period of time ... not only as songwriters but as musicians and singers as well.  This is a VERY sophisticated piece of material for some 15 and 16 year old kids still in High School!!!)

(Seriously??!?!?  Batt Mann and the Boy Wonders?!?!?  That's about as corny as Clark / Kent writing this article!!!) 

Don'tcha just love how Peterik's name is misspelled on both of these releases???  Ah, show-biz!  

Jim Peterik has told the story many times over the years of how they blended the soulful, gospel sounds of Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions with the latest trends coming out of The British Invasion.  Listen to the opening riff on "You Wouldn't Listen" and you'll feel an immediate connection to "Tired Of Waiting For You" by The Kinks.  But it was the merger of BOTH of these distinct sounds that allowed them to come up with their very own, original sound, making "You Wouldn't Listen" a track that still holds up incredibly well today. (Scroll up to play this track again with these thoughts in mind ... and you'll see that the band PERFECTLY captured their inspiration and intent!) 

At various times, The Ides Of March sound like a British band, a soft-rock / Association type band, The Cryan' Shames (Jim has always admitted a fondness for the beautiful harmonies of Chicago's own Cryan' Shames), The American Breed, The Monkees, The Byrds and, on "Give Your Mind Wings", The Dave Clark Five.  The common denominator here is the fact that they always sounded contemporary, regardless of which direction they may have been headed at the time.  

Several other previously unreleased tracks follow before we hit their follow-up single "Roller Coaster", a minor hit (#92 nationally, #19 here in Chicago).  In hindsight I don't think this song holds up as well as two over-looked gems also released as singles ... the previously mentioned "My Foolish Pride" and "You Need Love".  (Larry Millas took the lead vocal on "You Need Love" ... and in addition to the Tijuana Brass sound of "My Foolish Pride", check out that opening note pattern ... listening to it again, I am now convinced that Jimi Hendrix took that very same patten and was inspired to create an all-time rock classic with "Purple Haze" a year later ... seriously ... just listen to this intro ... and you'll find that The Ides did it first!!!  Yep ... I think I nailed it ... and you'll have to convince me otherwise from this point forward! Again, scroll up and give it another listen ... and you'll see that I'm right!  Sorta!)  

Neither of these singles managed to chart ... which is a real shame as they were certainly deserving of some recognition.  Without another hit, The Ides were unceremoniously dropped by Parrot Records.  (Once they added horns to "My Foolish Pride", this sound seemed to continue through all of their subsequent releases.  Some great overlooked tracks, including a few others never officially released, reaped the benefit of this new sound.) 

The Ides Of March next landed at Kapp Records in 1968 where they recorded the hauntingly beautiful "Nobody Loves Me", another track that deserved a better fate than it got ... this time featuring shared vocals by Larry Millas and the recently departed Ray Herr.  This is a beautiful track and gives the band a completely different sound with the absence of the trademark Jim Peterik growl.

While I'm not quite as enamored as Clark is with some of these earlier tracks ... let's put it this way ... The Ides' versions of "You Tell Me Why" and "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" aren't likely to make anyone forget the hit single versions of these tracks recorded by The Beau Brummels and The Walker Brothers ... I will admit that several of these "vintage" tracks blew me away, including (besides those previously mentioned above) "Train Of Love", "I Pt It Out Of My Head", "Sha La La La Lee", "One Woman Man" and "High On A Hillside", a track that would best define their new sound once they were signed by Warner Brothers Records.   

That still makes better than HALF these tracks "keepers" in my book ... not bad for a bunch of high school kids just starting out on the bumpy road to rock-and-roll stardom.  How some of these tracks slipped through the cracks is beyond me ... but you now have the chance to rediscover them thanks to this great new box set.  And, because of the way the box is assembled, you get to track the complete evolution of the band as it happened.    

I had mixed emotions about how much music to feature in this special series ... too much might make the potential buyer think "What do I need to buy the box set for?  I've already heard the best stuff."  (Not true ... there are all kinds of great tracks to be found here that we didn't feature simply due to time and space limitations ... you won't go wrong, building some familiarity with the band!)  

Too little doesn't do justice to the versatility of the band who, for many, may be unfamiliar to those folks who grew up outside the Chicagoland area.  So I tried to go with just enough music to whet your appetites, give you a feel of all that The Ides were in to ... and leave you feeling, "I've got to add this box to my collection."  That (plus the fact that Clark Besch was able to supply us with some tracks that didn't make it on to the final cut of the box) will hopefully do the trick.  (kk)  

Order the box set here:  
http://theidesofmarch.com/   

Order Jim Peterik's biography here: 
http://jimpeterik.com/

The Ides Of March 50th Anniversary Box Set (1)

THE IDES OF MARCH 
 LAST BAND STANDING –  
THE DEFINITIVE 50-YEAR ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION
 NEW DELUXE LIMITED EDITION 5-DISC SET 
AVAILABLE NOW!  
http://theidesofmarch.com/

2015 marks the 50^th anniversary of the band that drove the 1970 Billboard smash “Vehicle” to the top of the charts: The Ides Of March. To commemorate this momentous occasion, the band has just released a deluxe limited edition 5-Disc set Last Band Standing – The Definitive 50-Year Anniversary Collection via Ides Of March Records.   

Last Band Standing is a perfectly executed celebration of The Ides Of March history and a showcase of a band still in their prime at 50 years deep. Original members Jim Peterik (also of Survivor fame and songwriter behind “Eye Of The Tiger,” as well as many other chart-toppers), Bob Bergland, Larry Millas, and Mike Borch started as a group of teenagers whose love of Rock N Roll and R&B led them to showcases and bandstands around their native Chicago, eventually hitting it big nationally with “Vehicle.”   

The first four audio discs contain material from across their storied career. Included are Warner Brothers albums Vehicle (1970) and Common Bond (1971), first-time-ever releases of the best of their RCA releases World Woven (1972) and Midnight Oil (1973), and choice cuts from the 90s, such as Spirit Of Chicago – an ode to the Windy City featuring some of the area’s most prominent artists – Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick), Dennis DeYoung (Styx), Gary Loizzo (American Breed), cult favorite Jim Ellison, and many more.   

Rarities like “Like It Or Lump It” and “No Two Ways About It” have been remastered in all their mono glory, along with other highlights culled from the Ides vault, such as 1966’s Billboard charter You Wouldn’t Listen (Parrot). The audio portion is completed with brand new Ides of March tracks, including the brass driven “Who I Am,” the harmonious “Too Far To Turn Around,” and the aptly titled “Last Band Standing,” featuring Steve Cropper – the iconic songsmith of Booker T and the MG’s and organizer of the Blues Brothers.   

Disc five is a live DVD of The Ides Of March performing 15 of their most iconic songs in an eleven camera shoot at the House Of Blues, Chicago on May 31, 2014. In addition to this high-energy hometown set, this DVD boasts a slew of extras: archival footage from their TV appearances in the 70's, new interviews, a look behind-the-scenes, a photo collage spanning 50 years plus an exciting new music video for the title track  “Last Band Standing.”   

Jim Peterik recently released his autobiography Through The Eye Of The Tiger: The Rock ‘N’ Roll Life Of Survivor’s Founding Member (BenBella Books). 

http://jimpeterik.com/   

Showing no signs of slowing down, The Ides Of March, who continue to tour to this day, are truly worthy of the title Last Band Standing.

*****

No media outlet has given The Ides Of March the amount of coverage that WE have here in Forgotten Hits over the past fifteen years.  For years we saluted them every time March 15th (The Ides Of March) came around.  Although we're a few years apart in age, we all went to the same high school where their presence was felt ... and is STILL felt ... every single day.  (A few years back, they renamed the street near the high school Ides Of March Way, commemorating all that these guys have done to put Berwyn, IL, on the map worldwide.  Even 50 years on, they have never lost sight of their very humble beginnings.)   

A few weeks ago, we received a nice review from Clark Besch for the brand new Ides Of March 50th Anniversary Box Set, a BEAUTIFUL package featuring four CD's (much of it previously unavailable on disc) and a fifth DVD disc featuring live performances and videos collected over the years.

 

At the request of Carol Kay at Kayos Productions, the PR firm handling this release (who wrote the introductory pieces shown above), we have added some of our own commentary to Clark's piece ... as well as a couple of back-and-forths with Jim Peterik of The Ides, too.  (This is a brand new, never-before-seen EXCLUSIVE Forgotten Hits interview with the band's show-stopper ... and you're NOT going to want to miss it!!!)  

And, to help sweeten the deal, Clark even dug up a few rare tracks NOT featured on the new box set to include as bonus material.  

Together, we've teamed up to give you some VERY special Ides of March coverage this week in Forgotten Hits ... so stick with us this week for a VERY special, one-of-a-kind  Clark / Kent Review of "Last Band Standing:  The 50th Anniversary Ides Of March Box Set".   

(Of course if we're going to use a catch phrase like that ... Clark / Kent Review ... then we just HAVE to kick this thing off with their 1970 Hit "Superman" (#48 in Record World, #64 in Billboard and, incredibly NOT charting here in Chicago!)  Where else are you gonna find a byline like THIS one?!?!?

Clark / Kent ... Hilarious! 

Jim Peterik

 

50 Year Flashback: July 6th, 1965

We kick off July with a chart from KLBK in Lubbock, Texas, where we find The Rolling Stones on top again with their monster hit, "Satisfaction".

Elvis Presley sits at #3 with "Crying In The Chapel" ... and he's also got the #9 hit with "Easy Question".

Herman's Hermits have two hits on the charts as well with "Wonderful World" (#5) and "I'm Henry The VIII, I Am" at #14.

Roger Miller's got a great two-sided hit at #18 with "It Happened Just That Way" / "One Dyin' And A Buryin'" ... and Chad and Jeremy and The Byrds both have hits on this week's Top 40 Chart as well as the "Good Guys Disc-Coveries" chart of up-and-coming hits ... quite a list with 24 selections as well as a "Pick Hit Of The Week".

KLBK took some title liberties with some of these listings.  Normally, we'll find abbreviations on many of the surveys that we feature ... but these guys felt a need to ADD words to some of these song titles ... as well as a couple of the artists' names.  That's why you'll find examples like "Here Comes The Night" by The Them, "I'm A Little Fool" by Dino, Desi and Billy and "You'd Better Come Back Home" by Petula Clark.